Component-Based Modeling of Turboprop Performance Loss Under Altitude and Thermal Variation

Abstract

Accurate prediction of turboprop propulsion system performance under high-altitude conditions is critical for optimizing aircraft mission profiles and increasing operational efficiency. This study presents a dynamic and component-based digital twin model of a single-stage turboprop engine developed using the Siemens AMESIM environment. The developed model enables high-accuracy out-of-design steady-state performance analyses and offers a dynamic and low-cost approach for evaluating engine-aircraft integration. In this study, the effects of altitude and temperature variations on gas generator speed ([Formula: see text]) were investigated under four different operational scenarios: high-temperature–variable-altitude conditions, low-temperature–variable-altitude conditions, variable-altitude conditions under constant high temperature, and variable-temperature conditions under constant altitude. Through these analyses, performance losses due to altitude-dependent air density and temperature variations were quantitatively evaluated. In the model validation process, a comparative analysis was performed with open-source reference aircraft data, demonstrating the model’s strong predictive capabilities. Simulation results demonstrated high accuracy, with an error rate of 0.6%, particularly under medium-altitude conditions (14,000 ft, 253.15 K). Deviations observed at higher altitudes (reaching up to 9.82% at 18,000 ft) were attributed to unmodeled thermodynamic effects of auxiliary cooling systems. Thus, subsystem effects were isolated, and their impact on performance was analyzed. The results show that the AMESIM-based component-based digital twin approach is an effective tool for modeling turboprop engine performance losses. Furthermore, this study provides a significant foundation for the future integration of detailed thermal management and auxiliary system models.